Your Input Needed! - Single Subject Acceleration Survey!

Portland Public School's (PPS's) Talented And Gifted parent Advisory Council (TAGAC) is working to improve TAG services for PPS students.

As you may be aware, TAGAC recently passed "A Recommended Framework for Improved TAG Services in PPS" (for details, go tohttp://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/tag/recommendations-v11.pdf).  Members like myself are currently advocating for PPS to implement those Measures.  Please distribute this document to anyone who may be interested.
Measure 2 of the proposal requests that PPS improve the process used when parents request that their child be evaluated for Single Subject Advancement (SSA).   Measure 1 suggests that teachers and principals use a similar process at the beginning of every school year to evaluate every elementary and middle school student's current level and put them in a math class at that level. It requests that every school support at least one grade of acceleration without having to transport a child to another school.

If you (or a PPS teacher or other PPS staff) have requested or tried to request Single Subject Acceleration (SSA) for your child in any subject, we would appreciate hearing your story.  Specifically, we would like to know:

• In what subject did you (or a teacher/staff) request that your child be evaluated for SSA?
• What grade was your child in?
• Optionally, what school was your child in at the time? (Feel free to skip this question.)
• Please describe why you or a teacher/staff requested SSA.  What do you believe was the impact of inappropriate placement on your child.
• Did you request that your child be evaluated for SSA or was the evaluation initiated by a PPS teacher/staff?
• How long did it take from the time the request was made to the time you found out if your child would be evaluated?
• How was the request received?  Were you encouraged or discouraged to proceed or was your request received in a neutral manner?
• Was your child evaluated or was the request turned down?
• If your request for evaluation was turned down:
• What reason was given?
• In lieu of acceleration, were any changes made in how your child was taught in this subject?
• Did you or do you plan to take any additional actions because of this?  (Such as changing schools, changing school districts, pulling your child out for full or partial home schooling, etc.)
• If your request for evaluation was accepted:
• What tests or other evaluations did your child take?
• Did PPS determine that SSA was appropriate or not appropriate?
• If after the evaluation, SSA was deemed appropriate:
• How many grade levels was your child accelerated?
• Please describe the impact of that experience on your child.
• Did SSA cause any issues in subsequent classes/school years?
• If after the evaluation, SSA was deemed not appropriate:
• What reason or evaluation results were given?
• What do you believe was the impact of inappropriate placement on your child.
• In lieu of acceleration, were any changes made in how your child was taught in this subject?
• Did you or do you plan to take any additional actions because of this?  (Such as changing schools, changing school districts, pulling your child out for full or partial home schooling, etc.)
• If your child currently attends ACCESS and you requested your child be evaluated for SSA before they entered ACCESS, please also answer the following two questions:
• If your child was turned down for SSA before entering ACCESS, was your child accelerated after entering ACCESS?  If so, how many grades?
• If your child was accelerated before entering ACCESS, was your child accelerated any additional grades after entering ACCESS?

Thank you for sharing your experience.  We are working hard to make things better!  Your examples will help us do that.

nandjmom4@gmail.com

PPS TAG Advisory Council - Meeting (Tues. 11/18) and Important News!

This is a reminder that the November TAGAC meeting will be 6:30 - 8:00 tomorrow, November 18 in the Mazama Conference room on the 2nd floor (thru and behind the cafeteria) of the District Headquarters - Blanchard Education Service Center (BESC) at 501 N. Dixon St., near the Rose Quarter.  

You can see a draft agenda and previous meeting minutes at:

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/tag/9092.htm 

As reported by the PPS TAG Advisory Council Chair, Erika Gillis, the new (June, 2014) TAG Dept Administrator and Sr. Director for Teaching Innovation, worked her last day with the District on Friday (Nov. 14) .  

The TAGAC Recommendations approved by Members of the current council may be found at:

http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/tag/9090.htm

The TAGAC Chair's Report from my term as chair will appear in a separate post on this blog.

Please attend!  Your voice will help ensure that the Council continues to have an impact and receives feedback from diverse voices.

Brenda's Turn - PPS TAG Advisory Council Chairs Report (from 2012-2013)

Portland Public Schools

TAG Advisory Council Chair’s Report 2012-2013

To:      Superintendent Carol Smith, Members of the Board of Education, and
Kimberly Matier

CC:     PPS TAG Advisory Council

From: Brenda Ray Scott, TAG Advisory Council Chair (2012-2013)

Date:  September 17, 2013

The Portland Public Schools TAG Advisory Council Chair’s Report for the end-of-year is presented to TAG Administrator, the Superintendent, and the School to in accordance with the Council’s bylaws, which in Article II, Section 1 state, “A report of the Council’s activities shall be provided by the Council Chair to the TAG Administrator, the Superintendent, and the School Board in writing at least annually.”

In this report, the work and accomplishments of the TAGAC during 2012-2013 school year are described.  The TAGAC experienced growth from four at the group’s October meeting with 16 attendees at one meeting to 11 attendees (four TAGAC members and seven guests) at the June 11, 2013 meeting.  The following report highlights the impact of this work.

Themes

The TAGAC started the 2012-2013 working with Dr. Kimberly Matier, Director Instruction, Curriculum & Assessment in the Office of Teaching & Learning, in her new role as the district’s TAG Administrator.

Budget and Accountability:  The Council learned from its own Members about the lack of communication – in the past – to Principals and TAG Coordinators about the availability of funding for TAG at a school and how those funds could be spent. As a result, Dr. Matier has worked with the Council to improve communication and offer guidelines for how schools can address student needs, support teachers, and effectively use their limited TAG dollars in the future.

Communication:   The Council focused on ways of collaborating with PPS staff and others to increase communication between the TAG Office, School Principals, and TAG Coordinators.

Outreach:  The Council worked in a more concerted fashion to distribute meeting notices far and wide to a number of list serves and website focused on TAG students and their families.

Recruitment: In recognizing that students of color are under-identified and under-served by TAG services in Portland Public Schools, the Council worked closely with Dr. Matier to identify and implement strategies for increasing outreach to communities of color, Title 1 schools, and other venues appropriate to this strategy.

Priorities

As the result of the 2012 Survey described in the Highlights section, the following priorities were identified as key to PPS and the TAG Advisory Council working together on to better serve TAG students and families:

1.     Consistent Differentiation of Instruction for TAG Students at All Schools

2.     Equity in TAG Identification

3.     Equity of Access to Curriculum for TAG Students

4.     Parent Communication and Education

Highlights

Accomplishments

2012 Survey

The Council worked as a team with Member Mark Feldman taking the lead on working with Dr. Matier in creating survey questions for a survey that was eventually distributed to TAG families in September,  2012.  Cathy Biber, Terese Bushnell, and Amy Doan also contributed substantially to developing the survey.  The results of the survey indicated that the Council and TAG staff had a great deal of work to do increase the satisfaction of TAG students and families with TAG services.

TAG 101 (May 8, 2013)

TAG students and families were welcomed to the Marshall School campus for an invigorated version of the annual TAG 101 orientation session.  Developed in collaboration with Dr. Matier, the TAG 101 meeting included an overview and then moved to an interactive model where attendees were invited to attend one of four sessions.  The sessions lead by Brenda Ray Scott had 29 parents representing 21 schools, including Capitol Hill, Chief Joseph, Duniway, Llewellyn, and Winterhaven to name a few, in attendance.

  

Media Coverage

Portland Tribune (2/21/13):  The Council received coverage in a number of forums including a front page feature article by Jennifer Anderson, published in the Portland Tribune, with photos highlighting Dr. Matier’s leadership in addressing the concerns about TAG budgets and about the survey results.  The article also profiled the work of the Council with comments from Brenda Ray Scott.

Think Out Load (April 2, 2013):  A lively discussion of the ACCESS Academy, PPS TAG Services, and the survey results was included in a “Think Out Loud” program.

Accomplishments (continued)

ü  Increased attendance at and participation in the District’s annual TAG 101 session held as an orientation to TAG services for students and families identified as “Talented and Gifted” during the current school year;
ü  Increased participation in the Council over all as represented by increased attendance at meetings throughout the year and increased inquiries about the Council’s work;
ü  Increased the awareness and profile of the TAGAC to TAG families, the media, and the greater community
ü  An application process is being developed and lead by Dr. Matier to have prospective members apply to be appointed to the Council.

Conclusion

The TAGAC finished the year with four members and a chair elected by members of the Council.  Per the bylaws, I will continue on the Council during the 2013-2014 school year as the recent Past Chair and will lead the Communication Committee of the Council. I anticipate the TAGAC continuing to grow in its size, diversity, and impact on how Portland Public Schools provides services to TAG students. Thank you to each of the TAGAC’s members and PPS staff for your contributions to the Council’s growth and impact during the 2012-2013 school year!

Brenda's Turn - PPS TAG Advisory Council - Reflections

I am no longer officially a member of the PPS TAG Advisory Council.  I will continue to be involved in advocacy efforts at the District and State levels.  Below is my reflection on my accomplishments in this role:

When I became interested and engaged in the work of the TAGAC in spring, 2011, the Council was meeting sporadically and had few members.  Due to my perseverance, networking, and outreach, the Council grew to a group of as many as 20 members and non-members meeting regularly.  I am taking this opportunity to share the highlights of my leadership (2012-2013) and tenure (2011-2014) on the Council:

Survey:  Under my leadership during the 2012-2013 school year, a survey went out to the parents of TAG identified students.  This survey reflects the collective work of the Council and especially that of you in ensuring that the analytics were framed just right.

Committee Model:  The committee model for the Council was born out of the survey results and the will of the Council members in wanting to address the needs identified in the survey.  As recent past chair of the Council, I appreciated having the opportunity to work with the team on refining and approving the “A Recommended Framework for Improved TAG Services in PPS” approved by the Council on June 10, 2014.

Communication:  With support of other Council members, the Council’s work and PPS TAG services were highlighted in the Portland Tribune and on OPB’s Think Out Loud program.  I have tirelessly posted on a variety of blogs, settings, and list serves about the Council.

TAG 101:  My advocacy also brought about moving the TAG 101 program from the Blanchard Education Service Center to Marshall High School.  The model also evolved into a more user-friendly opportunity of parents engaging with one another and learning more about TAG through 4 separate workshops (2013). 

Outreach:  As a Member of the Oregon Association of Talented and Gifted (OATAG) Board of Directors, I have also been able to promote the accomplishments of the TAG Advisory Council to other TAG parents and school districts.

The change in council leadership and my health last fall prevented me from doing so in the timeframe I had intended.  The report from term as chair will follow in a separate post.

Let's work together to get a committed, strong group of parents working together at Sellwood Middle School and throughout the Portland Public Schools District!

City Club Friday Forum (11/7/14) - Meeting Our Schools on their Edges to Align Action

This session is of interest to anyone who has a stake in how our education system works will want to sit in on this discussion of the unique partnership described below.  Reservations are required by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 11/4/14 and prices vary according to member, non-member, etc.

Brenda Ray Scott

FRIDAY FORUM Meeting Our Schools on their Edges to Align Action (Location & Time Change) Buy your lunch tickets by 5pm on Tuesday, November 4 with Carmen Rubio (Executive Director, Latino Network), Wim Wiewel (President, Portland State University), Rob Saxton (Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Oregon Department of Education) and Dan Ryan (CEO, All Hands Raised). Friday, November 7 at Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union, Smith Ballroom 3rd Floor Learning doesn't begin and end in the classroom. Transforming children into educated, independent adults is the job of the entire community. Multnomah County is setting a national and regional example for what it looks like when adults come together to change behaviors to impact educational outcomes for all our children and youth from birth to career. The All Hands Raised Partnership brings together our six school districts with leaders from the county, city, businesses, nonprofits and higher education partners to help individuals and organizations understand their own role, as well as how they fit together collectively to benefit the success of all youth in our community. Three years into the Partnership, what does it really look like for a community to share responsibility, accountability and credit for helping every student succeed? TIME CHANGE: Doors at 11:15am; Program begins at 12:00pm. Reservations are required for lunch. Reservations close TOMORROW, TUESDAY, November 4 at 5:00pm. Click here to reserve your lunch ticket. Event tickets are $23 for both members and nonmembers. There will be NO coffee/tea option for this event, general admission will be free-- first come; first serve. LOCATION CHANGE: The November 7 event is a Friday Forum that will be held after All Hands Raised Raising Our Hands: Raising the Bar summit atPortland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union, Smith Ballroom on the 3rd Floor. 1825 SW Broadway, Portland. Click here for more information on attending the whole summit.